Vida Wight Memorial Scholarship

Vida Luisa Demuth Wight was born in Guatemala City on October 18, 2000. By the time Vida was six months old she had arrived here in Friday Harbor where she was raised and treasured by her parents, Larry Wight and Cere Demuth.

Vida attended both Friday Harbor Elementary School and Friday Harbor High School, and she spent four special years at Spring Street International School. Vida attended college in Bellingham at Western Washington University at age seventeen. There she was majoring in Spanish and Dance, while minoring in psychology. When she was home on breaks she loved working at Mama Bird Farm.

Vida means life in Spanish, and her name suited her perfectly. Vida was full of life and gave so much of herself to all whom she loved and in everything she pursued. You can read more about Vida’s life, death and spirit here.

The Vida Wight Memorial Scholarship is a way for Vida’s family and the community to honor Vida’s remarkably beautiful life and vibrant spirit by supporting another determined young woman in pursuing an area of study that Vida herself was passionately pursuing at the time of her death.

Eligibility

The recipient of this scholarship will be a young woman who is either interested in pursuing studies in dance, somatics, psychology, Spanish, or agriculture; or this recipient can demonstrate her passion for protecting and empowering those who have experienced discrimination of some form. This student will also need to show her passion for life, a commitment to her academics, and a strong work ethic.

(Please note; although all female students are encouraged to apply, preference will be given to students of color.)

Application

To apply for this one time $2,500 scholarship, please complete the common application for your high school and provide a copy of your transcript. In addition, please respond to the following poem through a 200-300 word essay, an original poem, original dance via video, or original piece of art.

The Journey
By Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
What you had to do, and began,
Though the voices around you
Kept shouting
Their bad advice‚
Though the whole house
Began to tremble
And you felt the old tug
At your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
Each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
Though the wind pried
With its stiff fingers
At the very foundations‚
Though their melancholy
Was terrible.
It was already late
Enough, and a wild night,
And the road full of fallen
Branches and stones.
But little by little,
As you left their voices behind,
The stars began to burn
Through the sheets of clouds,
And there was a new voice,
Which you slowly
Recognized as your own,
That kept you company
As you strode deeper and deeper
Into the world,
Determined to do
The only thing you could do‚
Determined to save
The only life you could save.

 

FHHS, Running Start, and Griffin Bay students: Pick up and submit applications at the Friday Harbor High School Office.

SSIS and Home School students: Pick up and submit applications at the Spring Street International School Office.

Applications are due by 3pm PT on April 24, 2024.

Donate

If you’d like to support the Vida Wight Memorial Scholarship fund, please visit https://sjicf.org/donate/vida to make an online donation or mail a check to SJICF with “Vida Wight Memorial Fund” written in the memo line. Checks should be mailed to SJICF, PO Box 1352, Friday Harbor, WA, 98250.